The Washington critic., 1887-12-13
CONGRESSIONAL CHlT.CHAT.

Senator Edmunds is the only member Of
the upper house who carries into his private
life the stately dignity which marks his
manner in the Senate says the correspond
ent of the Philadelphia Times. The pol
ishcd Eustis, the courtly Hampton, even the
caustic Ingalls, and the ponderous Beck, un-
bend in their committee rooms and In the
hotel lobbcs, but Edmunds is always the
same. Since the breaking up of that Illus
trious trio, Thurman, Garland and Ed
munds, one of the duties Of which consisted
in sampling in the Judiciary Committees
rooms a decantcr that never ran dry, he has
lived n comparatively lonely life, taking but
passing interest In his associates, nearly all
of whom rcciprocatcd his wcll.mastcred af-
fection To newspaper men he Is always
courteous and, when he eau be induced to
talk, speaks to the point with clearness and
force. But he is not seeker after notoricty
in any sense of the word, and in his heart
dcspises the bar-room stntcsinan no matter
what position the latter may hold.
When Representative John T. Russell of
Massachusetts first came to Washington, in
1864, in the interest of the Panama Railroad,
Sam. Ward came also, says the Philadelphia
Record. They wanted to make things
pleasant for the public mon they met, but
could not find place in Washington where
they could give even u little supper. One
day Sam. Ward discovered Wclckcr who
kept a provision shop OF. Pcnnsylvania ave;
one, too-cookcd what he could not sell
every day and served II in room over his
shop. Ward talked with him in his native
tongue found out thnt this proceeding was
q good deal TO hun, and finally started him
| in a modest restaurant. From that time on
I tsi1 "A
been possible in Washington.
| 70.
Senator Davis of Minnesota looks enough
like Ben Butler, It Is snid to be Ben Butler $
son. But he isn't Much of the rcscn-
blancc comes from the fact that the dashing
Minncsotan is blind III one eye, the result OF
n cold caught ut II political meeting during
the Cleveland campaign. The damaged
optic, like that of General Butler. gives n
peculiar expression TO his face, which does
not resemble Buffers particularly in any
other way.
There isn't Senator in the Chamber who
looks browncr or hcarticr now than Vim. 7.
=. Frye of Maine, is the opinion of a New York
Sun writer Mr.. Frycs good health is prob
ably due in n considerable degree 10 the easy
travel iaunts he has taken this summer and
fall. lie has been ut home only ten days in
the year 1887, and those ten days were not
successive days, either lie stayed in WASH
ington from January to March 10. Then
he sailed for Europe, and between April
and September he was lifting about Eng
land and the Continent, not luating all the
time, by any means, but pOking his intclli'
gent and inquisitiyc nose into the prob
lem of cheap European labor. lie
took the cOnmon-scnsc method, and
catcchizcd the men themselves, principally
regarding their wages. lie brought home 4
big batch of hard facts in his gripsack. II,
fired II grcnt yollcy of them at the Boston
free traders in his speech before the HON,
Market Club in October, and then he usct
some of them with considerable effect ON tn,
stump in Rhode Island. When lie was no
making speeches he was NJ the watcrin,
places and lakes 80 that when he cant
back 10 his old quarters here he realized thn
his constituents had but few glimpses of hin
in Il twelyemunth.